Monday, February 10, 2014

Blackfish Fawnpug

During the holidays my sister and I watched the documentary Blackfish about orcas in captivity. It was an extremely interesting, well done, and tragically sad documentary. I admit that I did go to Sea World as a kid a few times, but I would never be able to go as an adult now that I fully understand what it means to keep orcas in captivity for human entertainment. While I understand that there are some educational benefits, I think the main problem with orcas is that they are just such large and social creatures, it's hard to provide a suitable environment in captivity.

Afterwards, as my sister and I sat dazed in a post-documentary and -wine-and-chips-binge (yeah, we're classy like that), she asked whether we're kinda doing the same thing with dogs. I looked over at my snoring pugs, happily draped over our laps, and answered that while that may have been the case early on in the domestication of dogs, I seriously don't think our dogs could survive or be happy in the wild now. Pugs especially have been bred to be companion dogs. But it definitely made us think about how we interact with animals both as pets and as wild creatures.

If you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend watching it.

P.S. I know lots of people successfully have crate trained their dogs, but I generally let mine roam free in most of my apartment while I'm gone. It's just a personal preference and the girls rarely cause any trouble or messes (knock on wood! Watch now I'm going to go home to some sort of disaster today). The only time they're in there with the door closed is when I have maintenance workers in my apartment or if we're traveling in someone else's car.

6 comments:

  1. That documentary has a lot of false information and they mix the way things used to be done with what is done now. They use video clips of different trainers and make you think that it's the ones that are being interviewed, or make orcas seem like they're seeking revenge. Video clips are constantly taken out of context throughout the entire movie. The deaths that happened were real, but it's just as risky to work with orcas as it is with any animal. Unfortunately, these animals have been kept there for so long that they can't survive in the wild. They are taken care of very well, so well that they've preferred that over open water pens. Maybe the very first whales in the 70s were different, but they don't capture wild orcas anymore. I shared a very informative video on this on my blog in case you're interested in knowing more. The movie is pretty misleading and you can't trust documentaries anymore unless you go out there and do the research yourself.
    And yes, dogs are different. In a way it started the same with wild orcas, but the domestication of dogs was done much longer that now they make great companions.


    vegcourtesy.blogspot.com

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    1. It's just hard to believe that orcas could thrive in such a small environment.. perhaps the documentary is skewed one way but the abuse at these parks is quite real. Read about Marineland in Ontario Canada which is a park near where I live... It's horrible. If you google it, prepare to be bummed out.

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    2. After I watched Blackfish I did get sucked into a hole reading online about Miami SeaQuarium and Marineland. Marineland is terrible, STILL. At least it does seem like SeaWorld has shaped up a bit since the early days.

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    3. I think it's important that anyone who watches any documentary and feels moved do some research on their own. Most documentaries do have an agenda of some kind, so seeking out the other side of the story is a responsibility, I think, before taking actions.

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  2. So funny you bring this up... my husband forgot to put our pug in his crate before he left for work today. Pierre (our puggy wuggy) usually naps in his crate for two hours a day but was free to roam about the house. Soooo, what do you think he did? I expected to find poop puddles, eaten Legos, chewed up tissues... But noooo, my good boy slept in his crate.

    :)

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    1. I'll take a look at it. Yeah, even if they take good care of them at sea world, I can't help but feel bad when they make them perform tricks; but then again that's the most exercise they can get while living there. It's bitter-sweet. >.<

      Awwwww! What a cutie-pie! I want to adopt a pug when I move out of this "no pets allowed" apartment.

      P.S: I LOVE garbanzo beans!! lol

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